Apple Cider Bread With Spiced Apple Bits

I am one of the laziest bakers in the world! I hate having to figure out how much yeast goes into what kind of bread for how long and what to do if the wrong amount of sunlight hits a certain kind of dough but not another one and whether or not I need to chill it before I bake it and on and on. That kind of stuff gives me gas, and ain't nobody got time for that. I like to throw some ingredients together, mix it all up, pop it in the oven, take it out when the oven beeps and chow down! That is why I absolutely L-O-V-E making beer bread and cider bread! The yeast you need for each loaf of bread is pre-measured and prepared for you IN A BOTTLE OR A CAN! How much easier can it get?! You don't even need to pray to baking gods that it won't taste weird either because it will taste like the beer or cider you put into it! If it tastes weird, that's because you chose a weird beverage! Stop choosing weird stuff!

If you're as lazy as me, and want to make a delicious loaf of warm, lightly sweetened, chewy, appley goodness you can eat for any meal and on any occasion then keep reading!

Step 1: Gather Your Ingredients & Tools

Kitchen Tools

A large mixing bowl
A small mixing bowl
A dry ingredient measuring cup (1 cup size)
A set of measuring spoons (Teaspoons, Tablespoons, 1/4 Tsp, 1/2 Tsp, etc.)
A rubber spatula or large flat wooden spoon
An oven safe bread loaf pan
A pastry brush*
A large, sharp chopping knife
A cutting board
A whisk

Ingredients

All Purpose Flour (3 Cups)
Baking soda (1/2 tsp)
Baking Powder (1 tsp)
Ground Cinnamon (1 tsp)
Brown Sugar (6 Tbs)
Nutmeg (1/2 tsp)
Vanilla extract (1 Tbs)
Salt (1/4 tsp)
White Sugar (3 Tbs)
Hard Apple Cider (12 oz)
A fresh, ripe, Apple (1)
A bottle of light olive/vegetable oil* (1/2 Tbs) or a can of non-stick spray

*If you decide to go with non-stick spray then forget about these two items.

Step 2: Prep Work!

Set your oven to preheat at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Open your apple cider to release some of the carbonation while you work.
Dice up one whole apple into roughly 1 cm pieces (Don't worry about precision, just make 'em small). Discard the seeds and stem.

Step 3: Making Your Apple Filling

Take your brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and combine them into a small mixing bowl.
Stir them together until they play nice!
Now add your diced apple pieces into the bowl and drizzle in your 1 Tbs of vanilla extract.
Using your hands (or a spoon if you don't feel like getting dirty), mix everything in the bowl until every little piece of apple is evenly coated with your blend of sugar, spices, and vanilla!

Step 4: Mixing Your Dry Ingredients

Measure and pour your flour into a large mixing bowl.
Measure and add your baking powder and baking soda into the bowl with the flour.
Add your salt into the bowl on top of your other dry ingredients.
Whisk your dry ingredients together so that everything is nice and mingled.

Step 5: Mixing Your Wet Ingredients

Once you're confident that the dry ingredients are playing nice with each other, add your sugar and cider into the bowl.
You will notice it start to foam up; this is normal! Relax your face! It's supposed to do that!
Now grab your apple pieces and toss them into the bowl.
Now take your spatula or spoon and start mixing everything together until you have what starts to look like a dough.
As the mixture becomes harder to stir, start folding it over repeatedly until all of the dry ingredients join the rest of the dough. This may take a few folds, so don't get discouraged! Make sure to get all the stuff at the bottom of the bowl, because that's where dry ingredients like to hide!

Step 6: Preparing Your Bread Loaf Pan & Baking Your Dough

Take your loaf pan and line the entire inside with oil either using a non-stick spray like Pam or by lightly brushing 1/2 Tablespoon of olive or other neutral vegetable oil around the inside walls and bottom with a pastry brush.
By this point, your oven should be at about 375 degrees and ready for baking! Pour your dough into your oil-lined loaf pan. Make sure that the dough sits in the pan as evenly as possible or it may come out a little goofy looking.
Once your dough is in the loaf pan, place it in the oven for exactly 1 hour. Keep an eye on the time!

Step 7: Finished!

Once your 1 hours is up, take the bread out of the oven and let it cool on the counter or stove top for at least 1 hour. This is important, because as the bread is cooling it is also continuing to bake! Once it's nice and cool, it's time to slice it up and serve it however you like! I like slice off a 1/2 piece and put a little pat of unsalted butter smack in the middle. Best snack EVER!!!